Empire State Building, Brandenburg Gate, Eiffel Tower lit in orange to honor slain Bibas family

By PHILISSA CRAMER

(JTA) — Landmarks around the world were illuminated in orange on Wednesday night to honor Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the Israeli mother and sons killed in captivity in Gaza.

L-R: Budapest’s Chain Bridge; Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate; and New York City’s Empire State Building are illuminated in orange to honor the slain Bibas family, Feb. 26, 2025. (Courtesy Kidma; Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images; Craig T Fruchtman/Getty Images)

The three were buried on Wednesday, several days after their bodies were returned to Israel. Their husband and father, Yarden Bibas, was taken captive separately and freed this month. Their plight had been a symbol of national trauma since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking 250 hostages.

Among the landmarks illuminated in orange, the color that came to symbolize the family because of Ariel and Kfir’s bright red hair, were the Empire State Building in New York City, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Chain Bridge in Budapest and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Thousands in Paris honored Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas with orange balloons by the Eiffel Tower. 🧡🇫🇷 #NeverForget #BringThemHome #ParisTribute #WeRemember #BibasFamily pic.twitter.com/If7QGL6VJ8

— Sanaya (@Sanaya10998) February 27, 2025

The displays were reminiscent of what happened in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack, when world landmarks were illuminated in blue and white to show solidarity with Israel.

In Argentina, where Shiri Bibas’ father grew up, tributes to the family have included a mass demonstration, two days of official national mourning and a vote by lawmakers to rename Buenos Aires’ Palestine Street as Bibas Family Street. Shiri Bibas’ parents, Margit and Yossi Silberman, were murdered on Oct. 7.